The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-06-05

where IL was the custom 10 secure tneir
property and to put them to bed In the
morning the coachman called to take
them homo, and was In general hand
somely rewarded" Neither was 1t yet
any discredit for men Of rank and fashion
to be seen drunk In public Horace Walpole
describes violent quarrel at the opera which
was due to Lord CORVALLIS and Lord Allan
having come in drunk and insulted Mr.. Rigby
In the pit" The memoirs. correspondence, and
novels even Of the ninth decade OF the last CEN
fury show how far the vice OF inebriety
was still condoned, and also the coarseness
| and violence OF manners which 1t brought
with It. the oaths which were constantly on the
lips OF men OF fashion. the prosecutions with
which young ladies' Of beauty and distinction
were often pursued In public places. and tho
coarse and stupid practical Jokes" which were
| INDUCED In. Horse racing had Increased so
| much that 1t was asserted In 1854 that about
| fvo hundred plates were then annually run
| for In England. Fox hunting was evidently
| not so prominent sport as II Is now, since tho
| strict preservation Of foxes was not yet COM
| mon: indeed It was noticed In 1774 that the fox
| was destroyed everywhere and by every meth
| cd that could 10 devised. Public fencing
matches had passed away, but duellng was
stil so common that three Of the Prime Minis
ters OF George Ill. felt compelled to cross
Johnson maintained that In the existing state
| OF public opinion man who fought duel to
| avoid stigma on his honor was only exercis-
| ing his Legitimate right OF self-defence." Bon
than. too. although he pointed out the alb
surdity OF duels. considered as remedies,
| ascribed their prevalence 70 defective legls-
lation which had left no other means for
the protection OF honor. Bull-running
had been finally suppressed in 177s,
| but the cock pit. although less popular than 1t
had been, was still patronized. and when the
King OF Denmark visited England in 1868 he
was taken to cock fight as a typical English
amusement. OF prize fighting. curiously
enough. Mr.. Lecky tells us nothing. About
the stage. on the contrary. he naturally
has much to say when writing OF
generation which knew Garrick. Mrs. Sid
| dons and Mrs. Jordan. Since 1887 such
actors as had patent from the King.
or license from the Lord Chamberlain.
had boon removed from the category OF
"rogues and vagabonds." in which the we'll
known statute Of Anne had placed them The
opera retained Its popularity, and this period
is remarkable in the history Of domestic music
for the introduction Of the pianoforte. This
instrument first became generally known In
England by being brought on the stage at
Covent Garden In 1767.
1t was In the last forty years Of the last GEN.
fury that the society OF artists of Great Britain
| was incorporated by royal charter. OF the ar
lists who illustrated this epoch in the history
OF English painting. West obtained much
larger share Of royal patronage than either
Gainsborough or Reynolds. In thirty-two
years West received more than $4,000 for
pictures painted for the King It is interest
ing to note that the highest prices obtained by
Reynolds In the zenith Of his career were one
hundred guineas for half length por-
traits and two. hundred for whole lengths.
Gainsborough at his best got forty
gulneas for half length, and a
hundred guineas for whole length. They
were both more fortunate than Hogarth, who,
though he held the office Of court painter. was
glad to sell in 1850 the six pictures Of Mar
riage a la Mode" for 120 guineas, though the
frames had cost him more than a fifth OF that
sum. THE March to Finchley" had to be dis
posed OF by raffle, and the four election pic
lures could not be sold even in that way. so
that Garrick showed real generosity in CIV
ing 200 guiness for them. In 1898 the same
pictures were resold for 1850 guineas. In Eng
llsh architecture Somerset House Is the most
imposing work belonging to this period. during
which also multitude OF great country houses
were erected In Flaxman England possessed
a sculptor OF merit, and at the same epoch
WedGwood was producing his well-known pot
terry. We may add that during the last thirty
years Of the century circulating libraries null
tiplied rapidly throughout Great Britain,
though of free public libraries there were very
few. and the British Museum was very poor In
printed books. 1t is noteworthy circumstance
that the Encyclopedias Britannica was COM
pleted In 1897, and 1t may still interest chill
dren to learn that the last installment OF
Stanford and Merton" was published In 1889.
| xuaa tupiDo thA In OF rua rfa NJ thol ar
fury that the race Of squirarchs, or small coun-
try gentlemen. possessing $500 or $500 q year
In land. became extinct. According to Bishop
Watson. Lord North's American war rem
dered 1t difficult for man with $500 year TO
support the station Of q gentleman, and Mr..
Pitts French war has rendered 1t impossible"
Mr. Lecky explains that the substitution OF
wine for beer. the annual visit to London or
the seaside. and the sudden introduction
Of town fashions soon plunged such
a man into debt. while the high
prices he could obtain for his
little estate from the large neighbor-
ing land owner became Irresistible. A
very few. no doubt. OF the moro enterprising or
fortunate OF the small country gentlemen sue
ceeded In charging their estates. A few others
found new paths to wealth in the plains OF In
dia. and possibly even In some Of the opening
fields OF manufacturing industry. Others be-
came dependents Of great men and obtained
places under the Government; but the great
majority either sank into tenant farmers.
or passed into the army which was soon
to draw away an ever increasing por-
ton Of the manhood of England"
Owing to defect Of evidence, Mr..
Lecky finds It more difficult to trace the his
tory of the obliteration OF the men immedi-
ately below the sauirarchs, namely, the yeo-
men. who owned the lands they farmed, but
made no pretension to the position OF gentle
men. IN this GLASS also growing extravaganza
was tending to their extinction. and economical
causes were acting IN tho same direction.
Nevertheless, 80 long as immense profits &C.
crued to farming produce from the French war
freehold or oopyhold farms might be still
found In every English county. But the sud-
den fall OF prices at the peace ruined multi
tudes o! small proprietors. many OF whom had
bought their land at the extravaganty high